Curriculum | MSM

Two MSM student having a conversation near a set of stairs in the Tepper Quad building

Customize Your MSM Degree with a Flexible Curriculum

The business world is agile, innovative, and full of opportunity. Your master’s degree should be the same.

The two-semester MSM program builds your business foundation and lets you tailor your career path with a specialization in Entrepreneurship, Finance, Marketing, Operations, or Strategy. A specialization requires 4 content area courses (24 units).

A Data Informed, Human Driven Approach to Business

The Intelligent Future℠ needs intelligent leaders. What better place to become one than Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, the birthplace of the data-informed, human driven approach to decision-making?

Our curriculum reflects our analytical approach to business and provides students with exposure to emerging technologies. Here, you’ll be challenged with practical applications of your studies through project-based work.

Since every industry is tied to business, I see “business” as my gateway to exploring any field. Through my entrepreneurial and internship experiences, I realized the need to strengthen my quantitative analytical skills, which led me to join the Tepper School. I’m interested in the technology industry, and Carnegie Mellon is globally renowned for its expertise in computer science. Carnegie Mellon fosters creativity and Tepper School students often collaborate with School of Computer Science peers to establish tech startups.

Claudia (Shiyu) Zhang
MSM Class of 2025

MSM Specialization Areas

As a part of the Entrepreneurship specialization, you will choose from courses like Commercialization and Innovation, New Product Management, Lean Entrepreneurship, Funding Early Stage Ventures, Franchising, and Marketing for Entrepreneurship.

Want to further your knowledge in Finance? While all MSM students take a core course in Finance, if you choose to specialize in Finance, you’ll take a deeper dive into Finance with courses like Corporate Finance, Investment Analysis, Debt Markets, Sustainable Finance, Venture Capital, and Energy Finance.

All MSM students will take core Tepper Marketing courses which cover the fundamentals of creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers. In addition, Tepper Marketing courses teach students to leverage analytical techniques and skills in order to drive and make informed decisions. With a Marketing specialization, you’ll have the opportunity to take additional courses like Marketing Research, Pricing Strategy, Marketing in the Age of Sustainability, and Marketing for Entrepreneurship.

As part of the Operations specialization, you’ll have the opportunity to take additional courses like Six Sigma, Demand Management, Operations Research, Supply Chain, and Service Management.

As part of the Strategy specialization, you’ll have the opportunity to take additional courses like Organizational Learning and Strategic Management, Technology Strategy, Commercialization and Innovation Strategy, and Engagement & Inclusion and a Strategic Competitive Advantage.

MSM Curriculum

  • Managing People and Teams
  • Finance I
  • Probability & Statistics
  • Accounting I
  • Experiential Learning
     

  • Operations Management
  • Marketing Management
  • Early Career Presentation Skills
  • Elective
  • Experiential Learning

  • Optimization
  • Managerial Economics
  • Elective
  • Elective

  • Elective
  • Elective
  • Elective
  • Elective